Hailed by the Indianapolis News as "a world of talent, displaying lyrical beauty, percussive driving power never out of control, and never without security and assurance," pianist Nicholas Roth began his formal studies at age twelve and was receiving critical acclaim for his appearances by the age of eighteen. He has appeared as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony and the Indianapolis Symphony under Raymond Leppard, among many others. Roth has been featured in recitals and festivals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Serbia, and Spain, including the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series of Chicago, the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kalamazoo Bach Festival, and Sunday Afternoons Live from the Elvehjem in Madison, Wisconsin. An avid collaborative pianist, he has performed with premier chamber ensembles such as the Cypress String Quartet, Euclid String Quartet, Felici Piano Trio, and vocalist Cheryl Studer.
In 2010 Yamaha Corporation of America selected Roth for its Artist in Education program, which recognizes excellence in performing and teaching and provides opportunities for concerts, recordings, and masterclasses throughout the nation. Roth was a 1993 Beethoven Fellow of the American Pianists Association, which provided him concert management for three years. He has won first prizes in several international competitions including the chamber music competitions of Tortona and Pietra Ligure, Italy. He was the recipient of a Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) grant that enabled him to further his studies in Germany. He was honored by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana for his "contribution to the performing arts, his accomplishments as a concert pianist, and his inspiration to young musicians."
Roth holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University, an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, and MM and BM degrees from Indiana University, where he was the recipient of the Jacobs School of Music's highest honors including the Performer's Certificate and the Joseph Battista Memorial Scholarship. His teachers include Ralph Votapek, Elisso Virsaladze, Helmut Deutsch, Edward Auer, Emilio del Rosario, and Michel Block.
Roth has taught masterclasses at the Isidor Bajić School of Music in Novi Sad, Serbia, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, the University of Chicago, and the University of New Hampshire at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. He was a presenter for the European Piano Teachers Association - Second World Piano Conference in Serbia, and served on panel discussions at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Las Vegas, and Teaching Music History Day at Depauw University. As a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), he is a frequent presenter and adjudicator for MTNA events. He has been guest artist faculty for summer music programs at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Western Michigan University, Goshen College, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and Centrum Music Festival in Port Townsend, WA.
Roth is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Drake University. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and Alma College. His recordings with the Blue Griffin Recording label have garnered many favorable reviews from International Record Review, Gramophone, Fanfare, and American Record Guide.
